Transcript Estuary Review Slides

Estuary Review Slides
2008
Estuaries
PowerPoint Done By:
Mary McLachlan & Annie Yu
http://cbos.org/Home/satellite-imagesmaller.gif
How Does It Get There?
• The largest amount of nitrogen entering the Bay is contributed by
the Susquehanna River, which drains some of the most productive
agricultural land in the Nation.
• Approximately 30 million pounds of phosphorus entered the Bay
from its nine major tributaries. About 90 percent of that amount
came from the Susquehanna, the Potomac, and the James
Rivers. Phosphorus levels entering the Bay from the
Susquehanna River are low in comparison to its water
contribution. Phosphorus, which is bound to soil particles, gets
trapped behind a series of dams in the river. The high level of
phosphorus entering the Bay from the James River compared to
its water contribution may be related to discharge from sewagetreatment plants inputs.
• Sources of DO to the Bay include:
– Oxygen from the atmosphere that dissolves and mixes into
surface waters.
– Algae and underwater bay grasses, which release oxygen
during photosynthesis.
– Water flowing into the Bay from streams, rivers and the ocean.
Ocean waters generally have higher DO levels, while fastmoving waters from rivers flowing into the Bay help mix in
Why a Problem?
• Nitrogen and Phosphorus are both types of nutrients
contributing to the Bay's poor water quality. While both are
needed for plant growth, human activities contribute more
nitrogen than the Bay's waters can handle. Elevated nitrogen
levels cause more algae to grow, blocking out sunlight and
reducing oxygen for fish, blue crabs and other Bay life.
• The Chesapeake Bay’s “dead zone,” stretching for hundreds of
square miles during the summer, has too little oxygen to
support a healthy ecosystem. The “dead zone” has a
devastating impact on the creatures living in the Bay and its
tributaries. Like animals on land, nearly all of the Chesapeake
Bay’s aquatic life, from worms and crabs on the bottom, to
perch and striped bass above and underwater grasses in
between, depend on oxygen to survive. Low dissolved oxygen
(DO) levels, called hypoxia, can impair growth and reproduction
and stress living resources, making them vulnerable to
disease. Water with no oxygen, called anoxic, will kill most
aquatic animals.
Solutions
• The pollution-reduction target was developed to improve and maintain
the water quality of Chesapeake Bay and to ensure the productivity of
the Bay's resources.
• Solutions:
– statewide bans on detergents with phosphorus; control of runoff
from urban areas, farmland, and pastures; improvements in
sewage treatment; and preservation of forest and wetlands, which
act as buffers to nutrient-pollution inputs.
• Water samples are collected from the Bay's nine largest tributaries to
evaluate pollution-reduction strategies and to determine whether the
goal of a 40-percent reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus is being
met.
• Pollution-reduction measures are evaluated by comparing
concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in water samples that
have been collected for a long period of time.
• The best thing that can be done to address the low DO problems in
the Bay is to reduce nitrogen pollution from farmland and urban
runoff, airborne sources such as vehicles and power plants, and
sewage treatment plants. Additionally, the Bay’s natural defense
systems such as forestlands, wetlands, oysters and underwater
Summary
• An estuary is a coastal area where fresh water mixes with salt water.
• A watershed is land in which runoff water drains into an estuary. The
Chesapeake Bay watershed is 200 miles long and covers 64,299 square
miles.
• Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients that are necessary for plant
growth and human activity. Animals need DO in the water to breath.
• Flushing time is the time required to replace the existing freshwater
accumulated in the estuary by the river discharge It can assist in
determining allowable disposal loads for a particular estuary, helping to
rid the estuary excess nitrogen and phosphorus.
• Our Solution: We need to make aware of the problems that are occurring
in the Chesapeake Bay by nitrogen, phosphorus, and DO. Stricter
regulations must be made to fertilizers, household cleaners, and
especially the sewage system that pollute the Bay. Each State needs to
work together to establish laws and fight for the budget to prevent the
Bay from deteriorating. The Government is spending so much money on
the War that they are forgetting that many of the natural beauties in the
U.S. are fighting to survive. The tests taken place to compare the
concentration levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and DO need to be more
frequent and taken seriously. By doing this the levels of each will
decrease and allow the organisms in the water to breath and live safer
lives in the Bay.
Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Dissolved Oxygen
By Stephanie Margolin and Cole Brundage
-An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water along the coast where freshwater from rivers
and streams meet and mix with salt water from the ocean.
-A watershed is the area of land where all of the water comes from that goes into the main body
of water
Nitrogen and phosphorus runoff is a large problem in the Chesapeake bay.
These pollutants greatly decrease the water quality of the Bay
Nitrogen was a F 17 No Change from last year
Phosphorus was D- 23 Got worse from last year
-Nitrogen comes from the overflow of sewage treatment plants. The fact that sewage plants are
allowed to dump sewage into the waterways is a relic of the past when this conduct was allowed
-Phosphorus comes from runoff of land. Phosphorus is a large component of fertilizers used in
commercial and residential areas. The phosphorus is the washed to the waters in the form of
runoff when it rains
-The reason there is a shortage of dissolved oxygen in the bay is the Algae bloom.
The pollution caused by rain runoff causes algae to grow uncontrollably
When the algae decomposes, it uses up the dissolved oxygen.
This creates massive dead zones in the bay in which no animals can live
-the slow flushing time of the bay causes the pollutants nitrogen and phosphorus and low
dissolved oxygen levels to remain in the bay for a long time
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and Dissolved Oxygen
By Stephanie Margolin and Cole Brundage
laws
-The clean water act limits the amount of nitrogen that can be released from water
treatment plants. The limits are sometimes exceeded.
-Because the government usually runs the sewage treatment plants, they are not going to
fine themselves
What is being done
-Because a big source of this pollution is nitrogen from sewage plants, the governments of
the states of the watershed are now funding upgrades of sewage plants that stop the
emission of nitrogen into the water.
-The Chesapeake bay foundation has filed law suits against the governments of states who
are not cooperating with the clean water act
-Environmental groups advise people not to fertilize their grass with dangerous fertilizers
because they may get into the storm drains and into the waterways
The Chesapeake bay watershed is
bigger than you think!
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and Dissolved Oxygen
By Stephanie Margolin and Cole Brundage
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Solution to the problem
-The first step is to eliminate all discharge from
sewage treatment plants into rivers except for pure
water. The pollutants should be stored or
processed into other materials
-The second step is to create more and not
destroy any undeveloped areas next to water
-Storm drains must go through a filter process to
remove pollutants before being dumped into the
waterways
-If these things were done, the only pollutants that
would get into the water would be from runoff
-Progress would be measured by the Chesapeake
bay report as usual, except this time, the score
would go up
-With the removal of the main sources of pollution,
the bay would become a healthier body of water
The Dead zone in 2005 was of great magnitude
The areas in red on the map are places where
there is not enough dissolved oxygen for animals
to live
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and Dissolved Oxygen
By Stephanie Margolin and Cole Brundage
Conclusion:
-With decreased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, the Dissolved Oxygen levels
would go up and the size of dead zones would decrease
This would allow for more organisms to prosper in the bay, and for populations of pollution
affected organisms to rebound
sources
http://www.epa.gov/nep/about1.htm
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/whatis.html
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/wshed.htm
http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/ShelfCoast/notes/chapter15.html
http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=exp_sub_state_sewage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_population
Water Clarity and Underwater Grasses
Summary
Bentley, Edward, Sean
Water Clarity
• Water clarity is a measure of how clear water is.
• To be more specific, water clarity is a measure of how far
down light penetrates through
• Water. The deeper light penetrates, the clearer the water.
• How far down light penetrates through water depends on how
many particles are suspended in the water. Suspended particles
reduce water clarity by absorbing and scattering light.
• Scientists often estimate water clarity by measuring Secchi
depth.
• Secchi depth is the distance at which a Secchi disk can no
longer be seen as it is lowered into the water.
Importance to underwater grasses
• Water clarity is important to the underwater
grasses because the amount of light that reaches
these underwater plants growing in the Bay's
shallow waters is the single most important factor
determining their growth and survival. The fish
located in the bay also need good water clarity to see
their food or avoid being eaten
Concerns with the Bay and clarity
• Environmental concerns were voiced in the 1970s over the
damage to key habitats and the decline in water quality. Species
in bay waters were being negatively affected, resulting in threats
to the commercial and recreational activities.
• Most marine scientists believe that these changes are related to
ecological stress due to increased human activities. Causes
include deforestation, agriculture (including fertilizers),
urbanization, pollution, and sewage. The Chesapeake Bay
Commission predicts that by the year 2020, the population of the
bay watershed will increase to 17.4 million. Without additional
environment attention on the bay ecosystems, the Commission
predicts that stress on the natural system will increase
dramatically.”
Problems and reducing
• Sewage as well as discharge from boats are two major pollutants
of the Chesapeake Bay. Budget allowances would be required in
order to construct public as well as private sewage facilities. A
further step would be to reduce the amount of untreated sewage
that is dumped into the bay from sewer overflows and failing
septic systems. Pollution discharges should also be eliminated
from recreational boats
• Another major problem is sedimentation. Steps should be taken
to reduce the amount of erosion and limit the amount of dirt
that is being dumped into the bay. In order to restore
underwater grasses, freshwater flows and streams would need to
be preserved in order to maintain estuarine habitats.
Water Clarity
&
Underwater Grasses
By:
Claire Beadling
Jamie White
Priya Vyas
Water Clarity
• Defined- how deep
light penetrates
• Plants need for
photosynthesis
• Bad Clarity fromsediment (erosion),
algae (excess
nutrients), nitrogen
(runoff)
• Slow flushing time=
more sed.
Suspended longer,
Light reflects, not
penetrate
• Laws- Wake laws to
prevent erosion from
boats, Clean air acts
to prevent Nitrogen
Oxide and Mercury
from polluting the
Bay
Water Clarity
• Currently- trying to
• Keep track of light
reduce nitrogen(39%)
depth, # of plants,
and
erosion,& pollutants
phosphorous(33%)
to see if it works
• Solution- Barley
• Benefits- more
grass (put in the
grasses, less polluted
water which prevents
water, more
algae blooms) Filter
organisms b/c more
runoff, and regulate
plants to live in and
farmland
on
Underwater Grasses
• Submersed Aquatic
Vegetation
• Increasing since
1984
• Peak in 2002 at 90k
• b/c of Isabel 2005
between 20-30k
• 2007- 58k, goal is
184k
• Provide- food,
shelter, oxygen
• Caused by poor
water clarity, algae
blooms
• Flushing timedecreases light b/c
sediments stay
longer
• Laws- Permits &
Licenses needed to
work on bottom near/
with grasses
solutions
• Currently- reduce
nutrients and
chlorophyll levels,
no plans yet
• Solution- plant
grasses, reduce
runoff, keep plants
& marshes
• Keep track- with
running charts on
populations and
clarity levels.
• Benefits- More
organisms will live
there, more D.O,
cleaner water
Oysters
and
Toxins
Brendan Frantz and Joseph Mongomery
Effects on the Oysters
• The Oysters are filter-feeders; Therefore,
they eat things that float past them.
• So, when the Oysters are feeding and
there are toxics in the water, it affects
their health.
• This thereby affects the local fisheries
that use the Oysters as a food product.
• The
Oysters
the
Chesapeake
Bay Bay
aregood
suffering
The
Oysters
in
the
Chesapeake
are for
• The
ToxicinOysters
are no longer
sale. due
greatly,
to the due
amount
of toxins
that
being
suffering
greatly,
to the
amount
ofare
toxins
dumped
thedumped
bay on ainto
dailythe
basis.
that are into
being
bay on a daily
Effects on the Environment
• Back in the 16th century the whole Chesapeak
Bay could be filtered by the oyster population
in a week and a half and now it takes over a
year.
• With the bad health and decreasing numbers
of oysters the bay is going to get dirtier.
Source of the Problem:
Toxics
• According to the Chesapeake Bay
Report, progress in toxics reduction
continues to be slow.
• Mercury and PCBs are responsible for
many fish consumption warning in the
Watershed.
• A variety of newer chemicalsantibiotics, birth control pills, lotions,
detergents- come down the drains
every day, and pour into the
Chesapeake Bay.
How these Chemicals Affect the
Oysters
• An Estuary is a partially enclosed body
of water in which rivers and streams,
which are freshwater, meet the
saltwater ocean.
• It is usually enclosed on three of the
four sides.
• Estuaries are now threatened by
pollution and over fishing.
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Oysters and
Toxics:KatieL&Kelly
Estuaries
Watershed
An estuary, is
the meeting
• Watershed-The land area that
place between freshwater
river systems and large
bodies of salt water in the
zone along the coastline .
The Chesapeake Bay is an
example of a coastal plain.
The Chesapeake Bay is the
largest estuary in the United
States reaching as far as 195
miles long.
It ranges anywhere from 4 to
30 feet wide.
Its average depth is less than
22 feet deep.
drains into a stream, river,
lake, estuary, or coastal zone
is called a watershed
• The Chesapeake Bay’s
watershed is the surrounding
land that falls into the Bay.
• This land sends its run off of
pollutants and rain into the
Bay.
• Its watershed is 64,000
square miles which is fifteen
times larger than the Bay.
By Katie Lockwood and Kelly Pawlak
Toxics
Oysters
•
Toxics:
•
Sources:
Run-off from farms, housing developments, and
roads. Chemicals dumped in water, land fills, and
many others.
•
Effect:
Water becomes cloudy, animals are poisoned.
Marine Life dies and leaves ecosystem unstable
•
Flushing Time:
Slower flushing time of the bay means that the
pollutants are not diluted quickly, and remain in
higher concentrations
•
Oysters:
•
Sources:
Diseases, loss of area for habitat, and overfishing
are causing the disappearance of oysters within
the Chesapeake Bay.
•
Effect:
it is killing oysters and harming the fishing economy
of States surrounding the Chesapeake Bay.
•
Flushing Time:
Not enough flushing times leads to dead zones,
which are caused by a lack of oxygen in the water.
Oysters can not inhabit dead zones, this is one
way they loose area for population growth. Which
further hurts water-filtering, since oysters filter the
water. The fishing industries makes up a grand
proportions in the jobs in this area. It is important
that the oyster industry doesn’t die out due to a
problem with in the oyster habitat. The
repercussions of such loss would cause a major
blow to not only the economy of Virginia but all the
states surrounding the Bay.
Regulations
Toxics
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Safe Drinking Water Act protects drinking water
supplies from contaminants. 16 million people
get drinking water from Chesapeake Bay
Clean Water Act limits the amount of pollution
entering water ways, from point sources. Much
pollution does not have one source, and not
applicable Maryland General Assembly
transferred funds to prevent non-point pollution
Total Maximum Load requires states to create
pollutant “budgets” for waters that fail to meet
standards
Farm Bill provides conservation programs, to
limit run off damage
Clean Air Act- Bay pollution is also deposited
from air
Other Legislation passed:
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–
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Water Resources Development Act
Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
Organic Act
Endangered Species Act
Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Oysters
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No new permits are being given to fishermen, which
means that upcoming fishermen have to inherit or
buy a permit off a retired or deceased fishermen.
No animals are allowed to be on a vessel while
harvesting oysters.
From May 1 to June 14 it is illegal to harvest oysters
after 11 AM. All oysters must be refrigerated by 11
AMthat same day.
From June 15 to August 31 it is illegal for fishermen
aboard a vessel with the intent to harvest even an
hour before sunrise to harvest.
From June 15 to August 31 it is illegal to harvest
oysters after 10 AM. Also, oysters harvested before
10 a.m. shall be refrigerated by 10 AM. that same
day for the purpose of keeping the oysters well
preserved.
From September 1 to September 30 it is unlawful to
harvest oyster from anytime after 12PM that day,
and all oysters must be refrigerated by that same
time that day.
Any harvesting other than the permitted times leads
to prosecution and fines.
Solutions
Toxics
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Oysters
Lots of volunteer movements are taking
place
One large part of preventing pollution is
educating the public about it
In order to solve this problem, it would take
cooperation between states involved in the
watershed. All states would have to make
mandatory limits on pollution, put up forested
buffers, and launch massive education
programs. The acts are already in place, now
it is necessary to enforce them vigorously
and apply heavy fines to violators.
The signs that this solution is working, would
be less dead zones emerging annually, water
clarity increase, marine populations and SAV
abundance increasing.
This would greatly benefit the bay and local
economies. More commercial fish would be
available and the Chesapeake Bay estuarine
ecosystem would be far more stable.
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This issue needs to be made a priority to solve for Virginia
and other states surrounding the Chesapeake Bay or our
fishing industry economy could greatly plummet.
Make bigger fines in order to slow down the oyster
fishermen from harvesting out of season.
Have more enforcement of regulations, without
enforcement there will be no incentive to change.
Put regulations on the harvesting of oysters to make
fishermen put oyster shells and beds back into the water
(this otherwise destroys the ability for the habitat to
procreate in the future).
More wetlands and trees need to be planted to provide a
way to increase oxygen in waters.
There needs to be an enfaces on eliminating dead zones in
order to solve the lack of inhabitable area for oysters.
If adding more filtering components doesn’t aid in the
production of oysters, then adding an alien species of
oyster to our waters should be considered as a way to
keep our oyster industry alive.
Summary Slides:
Forested Buffers and Resource
Lands
Emily Smith-George and Molly
Warters
Definitions
• An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water along the coast
where fresh water from rivers and streams meets with the salt
water of the ocean.
• Watersheds is an area of land drained by a river or river
system, lake or estuary. It is a basin-like landform defined by
highpoints and ridgelines that descend into lower elevations and
stream valleys.
• Riparian, or streamside, forest buffers border streams and
improve water quality by trapping pollutants and preventing
them from reaching the water. These forests reduce pollution.
• Resource Lands, including forests, are land surrounding areas
like the Chesapeake Bay that are protected.
• Development is the main problem that is causing these factors
to be problems. More houses and stores = less room for
forests and resource lands
Factors and Impact
• Forested buffers have a CB grade of B+ and a number grade of 56.
• Resource lands have a CB grade of D and a number grade of 29.
• Forested buffers have roots that are beneficial to the vegetation
and keep stream banks in place. Buffers allow rainwater to fall into
the ground and “recharge” underground reservoirs. Also, buffers
help fish by providing many underwater obstacles that help feeding
grounds. Fallen leaves from the trees provide shelter for small
bottom-dwellers as the leaves get caught on rocks and woody
debris. They also help to keep pollutants out of water, provide
shade to cool water temperatures, and remove nitrogen.
• Resource lands filter the contaminants out of the water from rainfall
while it travels down rivers and streams. These lands regulate the
flow of the water as well. Farmlands can be used as natural filters
and provide habitats for not only a variety of plants, but animals as
well. Also, they help to keep development away so that runoff and
pollution is less likely to reach the water.
Regulations and their
Impact
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Bay program partners have been working since 1996 to restore riparian
forest buffers their original goal of 2,010 miles of buffers by 2010 was met
in 2002.
In 2003, Bay Program partners established an expanded riparian forest
buffer goal to restore 10,000 miles of forest buffers by 2010, approximately
5,720 miles of forest buffers had been restored.
The 2007 Forest Conservation Initiative committed the partners to
maintaining restoration progress beyond 2010 with a long-term restoration
goal of 900 miles of forest buffers per year, until 70 percent of all stream
miles in the Bay watershed are buffered.
In addition to the 10,000-mile goal, places have proposed in to restore
50,000 miles of riparian forest buffers to help reach water quality goals for
major rivers that drain into the Bay.
As of July 2006, a total of 6.83 million acres of land had been permanently
preserved in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of
Columbia. Bay Program partners are very likely to meet their 2010 goal of
permanently protecting from development 20 percent of the Bay
watershed land area—approximately 6.92 million acres.
Our proposal
• Because our factors are effected by
population growth, development,
impervious surfaces, storm water, land
use, and transportation we propose that
land is put aside and reserved as
resource lands so that these things will
not effect the Chesapeake Bay as much
and that we forest will be preserved so
that the water quality will not get worse
Summary: Forested Buffers
Emily and Molly
• -Forested buffers are important because
they provide a habitat for wildlife, keep
banks from eroding, keep the water cool
for fish, absorb nutrients and sediments,
trap pollutants (nitrogen and
phosphorus), and are a cost-effective
way to control pollution.
• -Sources= Chesapeake Bay Partners
(State forestry, natural resource
agencies, federal agencies, local
governments, and non-profit
organizations.)
• -Flushing Time= will slow if forested
Summary: Forested Buffers
Emily and Molly
• -In 2003, it was proposed to have 10,000 miles
by 2010.
• -Long-term goal= After 2010, 900 miles will be
planted each year until 70 percent of all stream
miles in the watershed are buffered.
• -Efforts of the Chesapeake Bay partners are
going well.
• -Solution= Need more budget allowances 
more forested buffers  health of the
Chesapeake Bay would improve drastically.
• -Progress= Can be evaluated by checking the
quality of the water and the abundance and
diversity of wildlife.
Summary: Resource
Lands
• Resource lands help reduce toxins and
pollutants that enter the Chesapeake Bay.
The populations within the Chesapeake Bay
(submerged aquatic vegetation and marine
life) are greatly affected by the number of
resource lands surrounding the Chesapeake
Bay.
• A source of resource lands is publically owned
land. Some organizations by land to ensure
they remain resource lands.
• The faster the flush, the less the land can keep
toxins out of the bay. More rainfall can mean a
stronger flush current (which is not good for
Summary: Resource
Lands
SarahV and Rachel
• Currently, Pennsylvania established new funding for
agricultural conservation. The Resource Enhancement
and Protection Act will reduce nitrogen population and
other runoff from agricultural farms and fields.
• The Clean Water Act is committed to getting the Bay off
of the EPA’s “dirty waters” list by 2010. State funding
for open space conservation is very low.
A possible solution to reducing the problem is to get
organizations and the government to persuade wealthy
families and businesses to buy land to devote to the
renewing of the Bay. Resource lands need to be
bought in order that no one else builds on them.
Unfortunately, a great deal of money would be needed
to carry out this solution.
Summary on Crabs and
Wetlands
Katie and Anne
Blue Crabs
• The Blue Crab is a resident of the Bay, which requires a variety of aquatic habitats
to complete its life cycle.
• When the weather is warm, crabs are caught in baited box-traps. When is colder
outside, crabs are caught by dredging, a process that include dragging a heavy net
on the bottom of the bay in order to catch the hibernating crabs. These dredges have
giant nets on the back, in order to catch the animals they stir up.
• Virginia banned dredging for crabs on Oct. 27, and the catching of female crabs
was prohibited. Many people who had jobs in relation to the crabbing industry, will
find themselves unemployed, and there will be $600 million lost.
• Nitrogen pollution from farms, sewage plants and suburban lawns is fuelling algae
blooms that are killing the clams and worms that crabs eat.
• Waterfront development is stripping away habitat wetlands and trees -- that are natural
pollution filters for the Bay.
• Homeowners are also pouring fertilizers on their yards, which run off into the Bay.,
which not only affects the animals but also the watermen who rely on the Bay for a
living.
• Fishing regulations have already been placed upon everyone who fishes in the
Bay, but more severe restrictions/ punishments need to imposed on those who
continue to pollute the Bay.
Wetlands
• An area of land consisting of soil that is saturated with moisture, such as a
swamp, marsh or bog.
• An area where terrestrial and aquatic habitats intertwine and are interdependent.
• Two types of estuaries: coastal and inland, also called estuarine and palustrine.
• Wetlands are essential to the existence of the Chesapeake Bay because when
the wetlands dry up, the organisms relying on this habitat cease to flourish.
• The expanses of wetlands are steadily decreasing due to development,
agriculture, and other land uses.
• The Wetland Reserve Program, which is administered by the USDA’s Natural
Resources Conservation Service, exists to regulate the amount of agricultural and
development that occurs.
• Wetlands located along the Chesapeake Bay are under the protection of the
Supreme Court.
• While, agriculture, housing development, and other forms of expansion continue
to increase, restrictions must be increased to preserve the fragile existence of the
Bay.
Solutions to the
Destruction of the Bay
• There are many programs being implemented by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
•We, as residents of the areas surrounding the Chesapeake Bay are encouraged to
plant trees whenever we have the chance.
•We are also encouraged to limit the amount we fish, when we fish. We must be
reasonable in considering how our individual actions affect the state of the Bay.
• Major marine groups have been encouraged to help redevelop oyster reefs
because they provide habitat and food for many marine plants and animals.
• We can help the entire environment by limiting the amount of water we consume
and by limiting the amount of personal garbage we dispose of.
• This link highlights the next actions that will taken to clean up the Bay.
• http://www.cbf.org/site/DocServer/BlueprintFinal.pdf?docID=13043
Blue Crabs
SarahM & Anne Hampton
• Best known animal of Bay
• Indicator species
– Habitat loss
– Pollution
• One third of nation’s catch
comes from the Bay
• Sept. 2008- deemed a
“commercial fishery failure”
• If pollutants enters bay at
flushing time, directly affects
crabs’ habitats and living
situations
Blue Crabs
• Harmful factors: Nitrogen and Phosphorus,
poor water quality, reduced habitat, overfishing
• No current management plan to restore crab
population
• Stern limits should be put on fishing
– Some restrictions have been implemented and have
shown progress
• Nitrogen and Phosphorus run-off leads to
other problems
– Needs to be limited
• Fertilizers
• Land developments
Wetlands
• An area where saturation of water is the main factor and then in
turn, determines which types of plants and animals will live there
(swamps, marshes, bogs, or other similar areas)
• Grade from State of the Bay- C+ (42)
• Current Factors -a climate change could cause a rise in
sea level leading to flooding of wetlands
-large construction projects such as the King William
Reservoir create risks for these areas
-federal government sent out a wetland permitting policy
which left many acres of wetlands and streams unprotected
-2,600 acre loss from 1996-2005
Wetlands
 Qualitywildlife habitat, improve water quality, and protects
from flooding and erosion
 Current Restoration Goal - in 2000 the goal was to
obtain 25,000 acres of wetlands in the bay watershed by
2010
 As of 2007 the bay Program is about half way there, and
set another goal in 2005 to track “functional gains”
 5 Types of Wetland Projects
establishment, re-establishment, enhancement,
rehabilitation, and protection
Factors that contribute to
the functioning of an
estuary.
By Alexis Causey and David Otey
Estuaries and
Watersheds
• An estuary is a coastal body of water with
one or more rivers or streams flowing into it.
An estuary also has a connection to the sea.
• A watershed is an area of land that drains
into a particular body of water.
• The Chesapeake Bay watershed stretches
across more than 64,000 square miles and
includes parts of six states-Delaware,
Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
and West Virginia. (also includes part of the
District of Columbia)
Rockfish and Shad in the
Chesapeake Bay
• Rockfish are the most important recreational and commercial
fish within the Chesapeake Bay.
• Any change in the abundance of rockfish will drastically
change the functioning of the food web.
• If the abundance of menhaden or bay anchovies is down, it
affects the rockfish because it takes away their main food
source.
• Shad are vital to the food web because they form an
important ecological link between the planktons and the
predatory fish in the bay.
• If the abundance of shad was down, the predatory fish that
rely on them as food would suffer.
• If the abundance of plankton is down, the shad fish suffer
which causes the rest of the food chain to suffer.
Factors of Flushing
Time
• Flushing time is the amount of time that it takes
for something to completely pass through a body
of water.
• The flushing time for the Chesapeake Bay is very
slow.
• Both rockfish and shad are affected by the
flushing time of the bay because of
dinoflagellates.
• Dinoflagellates can move just like animals
because of their flagella and they turn the water
into a “red tide” which can be poisonous to the
fish.
• Rockfish are affected more than the shad but the
slow flushing time creates a problem for both.
Regulations
• Rockfish- The number of rockfish per day varies from
area to area but is generally around two to three per
day.
• Shad- Commercial fishing of shad has been banned
since the mid 1990’s, however, recreational fishing
has recently been limited to one per day.
• Authorities are checking the abundance of the fish
frequently to determine whether they should be more
strict on regulations, or relax them.
• Solution- Monitor the abundance of the rockfish and
shad frequently, until then, ban all commercial fishing
and limit recreational fishing.
• This will ensure these vital species within the food
chain remain abundant for better bay functioning.
Shad and Rockfish
Summary
Elizabeth and Dai Young
• Estuary = Partially enclosed coastal regions (such as bays,
lagoons, sounds or sloughs) where freshwater (from rivers)
meets and mixes with seawater. Four main types : Coastal
plain or drowned river Bar built, Tectonic, Fjords. Driven by
tides but sheltered from the full force of ocean wind and
waves
• Watershed = The area of land from which precipitation drains
into a body of water ; Chesapeake Bay watershed
encompasses parts of six states: Delaware, Maryland, New
York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia Drainage
basins
Shad Summary
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Alosa sapidissima
Thin, silvery body that varies in color from greenish to dark blue on the
back ; forked tail
• Live in coastal ocean waters
• Anadromous fish: they spend most of their lives in salt water but spawn in
fresh water.
• Overall, shad abundance continues to be at depressed levels
• 22% of abundance goal in the Chesapeake Bay
• Decline due to overfishing, pollution, dams and other blockages
• In 2005 states outlawed shad fishing in the ocean no consistent
improvement since the law has gone into effect, which is a clear indicator
that it is not being enforced
• Since the mid 1990s, commercial fishery for shad has been closed
• Removing dams and installing fish passages are critical steps toward
restoring healthy
populations of shad
• Chesapeake Bay Program involved in many projects to help restore the
population
* Habitat restoration
* Sediment reduction
* Shoreline erosion protection
Rockfish Summary
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Morone saxatilis  striped bass
Streamlined, silvery body with dark stripes ;Forked tail, stripes, counter shaded,
powerful swimmer.
Anadromous
After a steep population decline in the 1980s, Chesapeake rockfish are currently at
their highest numbers in decades.
Highly acidic rain reacts with aluminum in the soil, causing it to dissolve in the
water. The combination of high acidity and aluminum is fatal to newly hatched
striped bass; adversely affects zooplankton, leading to starvation of newly hatched
striped bass that feed on it.
Mycobacteriosis ( a serious bacterial disease) is currently spreading through the
population due to poor water quality and shortages of food
2007 Bush designated rockfish as a protected game fish which put an end to the
purchase of rockfish caught in federal waters
Strict harvest controls helped recover populations , Improving water quality,
Pollution control
Congress enacted an Emergency Striped Bass Act in 1979 still in effect
A coast-wide fishery management plan (FMP), from Maine to North Carolina, is in
effect for striped bass under the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Primary objectives are: Controlling fishing mortality, developing regulations to
allocate and control safe harvest levels, determining stock assessment and
research needs, examining the effects of environmental conditions, such as
habitats and water quality
Summary on solution to
saving rockfish & shad
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Laws need to be enforced much more effectively more severe
consequences
Pollution control needs to be stronger, which will inevitably improve
water quality
Raise awareness of the seriousness of the issue; especially to the
younger generations because they will have the greatest impact on the
future of the Chesapeake Bay
Discuss issue with all states of the Chesapeake Watershed (Delaware
Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) instead of
focusing on a more local scale
This could be monitored by frequent studies from the Chesapeake
Bay Foundation to improve water quality, and increase the
population of shad & rockfish
Rockfish and shad populations would drastically increase, which
would benefit the ecosystem as a whole.
Commercial fishing industry would continue to grow
Safer environment with less pollution cleaner water